Portland Man Found Innocent Of Kidnapping

A Northampton County jury yesterday acquitted a Portland man of kidnapping another man at knife-point.

The panel of eight women and four men deliberated for more than two hours before finding Carl Hoffman, 31, not guilty.

Police accused Hoffman of threatening to kill Michael Flank, 20, also of Portland, and commandeering his car for a four-hour joy ride last June 27 and 28.

Hoffman contended from the witness stand that Flank voluntarily drove him to East Bangor and WindGap. He denied holding a knife against Flank's throat, and said that Flank's only complaint was that he would be an hour late in arriving home.

Hoffman testified that he first met Flank the early evening of June 27. Flank drove him and Sandra Farleigh of Mount Bethel R.1 to a New Jersey bar to buy a case of beer, Hoffman said. Flank said he would stop by Farleigh's house later but never appeared, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said he spotted Flank later that night and Flank twice insisted on going by the Farleigh home to apologize for breaking the earlier engagement. But Farleigh was asleep and did not come to the door, he said.

Farleigh's 13-year-old son, David, said that Hoffman arrived at his house about 2:15 a.m. but he declined to awaken his mother. David said he saw Flank, a bulky 6-feet, 4 inches tall, standing behind Hoffman, a slight, dark-haired man.

"All I could see was his head," the youth said. He said Flank looked "just normal," not nervous or upset. Flank was at the wheel of the car when the two men drove away, David said.

Flank told the court Monday that Hoffman made him move into the passenger's seat and took control of the auto.

Defense lawyer Karl Longenbach suggested in his closing address that Flank became upset after Hoffman left the car because he "thought he might get in trouble" with his parents for "doing what he liked to do, drive around and talk to people."

Assistant district attorney John Obrecht argued that Flank was both shy and "a little slow" and enjoyed "sitting by himself watching the traffic go by."

"The critical factor is whether you believe somebody who is slow and retiring would decide to pal around with somebody he doesn't even know . . . and go places he didn't really want to go," Obrecht said. "It was totally out of character."